Three of United's finest were listed as finalists today for Major League Soccer's 2012 year-end awards. DCU head coach Ben Olsen is up for Coach of the Year, captain Chris Pontius is up for Comeback Player of the Year and, as expected, midfielder Nick DeLeon is a finalist for Rookie of the Year.

DeLeon is the fourth consecutive Rookie of the Year finalist for United, joining teammates Chris Pontius (2009), Andy Najar (2010 winner) and Perry Kitchen (2011). In addition to Najar, United vets Santino Quaranta (2001) and Freddy Adu (2004) also share the honor, each scoring five goals in their rookie seasons to win over voters.

In only his second full season as head coach of the Black and Red, Ben Olsen has pulled DCU from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings to a second-place finish (17-10-7) and the club's first playoff berth in five years. Olsen's competition for Coach of the Year includes Peter Vermes (Sporting Kansas City) and Frank Yallop (San Jose Earthquakes).

After back to back seasons derailed by injury in 2010 and 2011, Pontius, the club's longest-tenured player, rebounded this year to record his best career season. Pontius led United with 12 goals and set personal highs in games played (31) minutes (2,339) and shots on goal (29). He became the club's captain in September when Dwayne De Rosario was sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Alan Gordon (San Jose Earthquakes) and Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC) are also finalists for Comeback Player of the Year.

The Coach of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year awards will be announced on Nov. 27.

Washington and Baltimore on the list of stadiums considered for inclusion in the bid for the 2026 World Cup

Washington and Baltimore on the list of stadiums considered for inclusion in the bid for the 2026 World Cup

The official list of 49 stadiums that will be considered for inclusion in the North American bid for the 2026 World Cup included Fed Ex Field in Landover, MD, as well as M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

The United Bid Committee of the United States, Mexico and Canada officially started its process for cities to declare their interest to serve as Official Host Cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, by sending Requests for Information (RFIs) to 44 cities across the three nations.

After these cities, including Washington and Baltimore, declare their interest, the United Bid Committee reviews all of the submissions, and plans to have a short list put together by Sepember. The Bid Committee plans to have between 20 to 25 venues on the list to present to FIFA.

If chosen to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after going through FIFA’s determination process, it's expected that at least 12 locations could serve as Official Host Cities for the North American bid.

All stadiums are required to have at least 40,000 seats for group stage matches, and a capacity of at least 80,000 to be considered for the Opening Match and the Final.

Here's a full list of the cities and stadiums being considered.

Just in: the official list of 49 stadiums that will be considered for inclusion in the North American bid for the 2026 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/vTPY1FOWtD

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Lamar Neagle scored on a penalty kick in the 61st minute and D.C. United beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak.

The penalty was awarded after defender Kendall Waston was called for hauling down Jose Ortiz in the box. The B.C. Place Stadium fans voiced their displeasure when replays showed Waston barely touched Ortiz.

Neagle sent the ball into the top corner for his sixth goal of the season. United improved to 4-6-2.